Four (Count to Ten Book 4)

by Jane Blythe

  “All right, Mr. Garrett, we’ll make this brief,” Jack began once the guards had left the room. “We know there was a third person involved in the abduction of Laura Opal. We want that person’s name.”

  “Ahh, Laura,” Frank’s voice was almost melodic—he was not what Rose had been expecting in a reclusive lunatic who chased a woman through the woods and repeatedly raped and tortured her. “She was hot, and good in bed–well, not technically bed,” he added with a chuckle at his own joke. “I miss her,” he said that almost wistfully, like he did truly miss Laura.

  Jack remained stone-faced. “We’re not here to talk about Laura.”

  “Oh,” Frank said with mock surprise. “I thought you wanted to know about her abduction.”

  The man was obviously clever; no wonder his defense that he was so scarred by a childhood of isolation, neglect, and abuse that he couldn’t tell right from wrong, had failed.

  “We’re here to talk about you and whomever you were working with,” Jack said with forced calm.

  Apparently, Frank correctly interpreted the reason for Jack’s tension. “So, you want to talk about me and my brother? I don’t see how you can talk about us without talking about Laura, too. She’s so pretty, isn’t she? A total hottie,” he goaded.

  Jack didn’t respond to his taunts. “We know there was a third person involved, Mr. Garrett,” he repeated. “Laura said the person who grabbed her in her home wasn't you or your brother. And we know that she was driven out to the woods by someone other than you two, since she was never inside your truck. We’re not asking you if there was a third person involved, we’re asking you who he is.”

  “Maybe we rented a van or something.” Frank was visibly amused. “And Laura was knocked out when she was taken, so I'm not sure anything she said can be taken too seriously.”

  “Someone has been recreating her attack,” Jack continued. “Since we know it’s not you or your brother, it has to be this third person.”

  “Maybe it’s just some nut who found out what happened to her,” Frank suggested, feigning helpfulness. “It wouldn’t be all that hard to find it out. I think you're looking for some sort of copycat.”

  “How did you meet Laura?” Rose asked.

  The question caught Frank by surprise, apprehension flickering quickly through his eyes. Then he covered it. “She caught our eye one day—as I said before, she is hot. What man could look at her and not want her, am I right?” he addressed this to Jack, who simply glared. “See?” he chuckled, returning his attention to her. “Your friend agrees with me. And let me tell you, she felt every bit as good as she looked.”

  Frank was deflecting. Attempting to avoid having to give them any information by distracting them with talk about Laura that he knew would agitate them. So far, it wasn't working. Rose wasn't going to get drawn into his games, and Jack was managing to keep his cool. Just.

  “Where?” she asked Frank.

  “Where, what?”

  “Where did you see her? You said that she caught your eye, so where were you when you first saw her?”

  Unable to come up with a convincing lie, he went with a simple one. “I don’t remember. I was probably too engrossed in watching Laura to pay much attention to where we were.”

  She furrowed her brow in confusion. “Oh, I was under the impression that you and your brother never left your father’s property. That was part of your defense, wasn't it? That you were traumatized by never being allowed to leave, by being abused, et cetera, and that was why you weren’t responsible for what you did to Laura.”

  Shrugging disinterestedly, he said, “Maybe she was out our way.”

  “No.” Rose shook her head. “Laura had never been there until she was kidnapped. She went to school, she worked, she hung out with her friends; she didn’t go traipsing through the woods three hours away from where she lived.”

  “Whatever.” Frank was starting to become irritated.

  “So, we’ve established that you and Francis never saw Laura until she was brought to your property,” Rose summarized for him. “So there has to be someone in-between, right? Someone who you guys knew who also knew Laura. Someone who didn’t like Laura very much.”

  Frank said nothing. Clearly, he wasn’t having so much fun now that his games weren’t having any affect.

  “So, who was it?” Rose asked. They only had a small window where this mystery man could have come into contact with Laura. If he’d known her while she was still in school, her parents or Jack would have noticed him, which meant he’d met her somewhere in the couple of years she’d spent in college.

  “You didn’t know many people,” Jack prompted when Frank didn’t respond. “Maybe it was a relative?” They both watched him closely for any tell that they were on the right path. But Frank was good. He wasn't giving anything away. “We’re going to look into every relative, every acquaintance, anyone you’ve ever come into contact with,” Jack warned him.

  Rose decided she may as well attempt to appeal to the obvious like, or perhaps lust, he had for Laura. “Someone wants to kill her.” She paused to see if her words were having any impact. “This man is after her and he’s not going to rest until he has her. He knows where she lives and he’s been re-enacting what you and your brother did to her. What do you think he’s going to do to her when he gets his hands on her?”

  “Maybe she deserves it,” Frank suggested, his smirk returning.

  Jack went completely still. His entire body tensed. Rose was about to send him from the room before he did something they’d all regret, but then he relaxed. “Are you scared of him?” Jack asked.

  That made Frank mad. “I'm not afraid of anyone,” he snapped.

  “I think you are,” Jack contradicted. “I think you're afraid of what he’s going to do to you if you give him up. When I find him, I'm going to mention to him that you were very helpful.”

  Then Jack stood and headed for the door. Rose followed. Behind them, Frank was yelling and screaming his protestations, but they both ignored him. Once they were in the hall, Jack slammed his fist into the wall. Rose couldn’t help but wince, but Jack didn’t seem to feel the pain that would no doubt appear once he calmed down.

  “Laura did not deserve what those men did to her,” he fumed.

  “Of course, she didn’t, Jack. Frank only said that to upset you. But, Jack, what he told us will help us find this man. If he thinks that Laura deserves what she’s getting, then he’s obviously angry with her. Angry enough to abduct her and have her tortured, and then come back for her after all these years. I’ll go back and talk to Laura’s old roommates to see if they know of anyone who may have been angry with her. Then when you finish up with Mark and the rest of your family, we’ll go back to Laura.”

  * * * * *

  11:56 A.M.

  She needed a plan.

  Audrey was in pain, but she couldn’t let that slow her down. He had been violent with her earlier—hitting her and kicking her and ranting about some woman called Laura, who he blamed for ruining his life.

  He had raped her, too.

  Then he’d taken her clothes with him, leaving her in just her underwear.

  She supposed it was just another way to keep her under control. Maybe he was hoping that if he kept her nearly naked, she would be too scared to run if the opportunity presented itself.

  If that’s what he was thinking, he was sadly mistaken. If Audrey got a chance to run, she was taking it. She didn’t care if anyone saw her nearly naked. In fact, she didn’t care if anyone saw her completely naked if it meant getting out of here.

  Right now, all her focus was on finding a way from this room.

  She wasn't thinking about being abducted or raped or beaten–there would be time for her to process all of that later. If she didn’t get out of here, she wouldn’t have a later.

  He was going to kill her.

  Of that, there was no doubt.

  He hadn’t said it in so many words, but his intention had been c
lear in everything he had said and done.

  He was just waiting until this Laura got here.

  Audrey didn’t know who Laura was, but she knew what the woman was in for.

  This man hated her. Hated her.

  Whatever he was going to do to her, it was nothing compared to what he would do to this Laura.

  But she couldn’t worry about that right now.

  She had to weigh her options.

  She had searched the house time and time again, but there was no way she was getting out of it without the key.

  Which meant she would have to attempt to get the key when the man came back next.

  However, she wasn't sure that was really a feasible option.

  Both times, he’d come back only to assault her then left immediately afterward. There was no time for her to try to sneak it away from him. The man got down to business with her as soon as he walked through the door and he didn’t stop until he left. There was no way she would be able to get out from underneath him and find the key in his pocket without him noticing.

  And even if she got the key, how would she be able to get to, unlock, and get out of the door?

  Simply put; she couldn’t.

  Which left waiting until this Laura arrived.

  Either the man was going to kill them both here, or he was going to take them someplace else to do it. Whatever his plans, it gave her some options.

  If he was planning on moving them, then that would give her, and Laura, the best opportunity of escaping. He would have to have the door unlocked; he would have to get them into a car; he would have to drive them; he would then have to get them back somewhere secure. At any of those junctions, she might be able to make a break for it.

  Even if he kept them here, there would still be two of them against his one.

  At least if Laura was conscious.

  What would Audrey do if she wasn't?

  Even if Laura was a small woman, there was no way Audrey would be able to drag her deadweight along with her in an escape attempt.

  But could she leave the woman behind, knowing what he was going to do to her?

  Audrey honestly didn’t know the answer.

  She would never normally leave someone behind, but what if it was the only way to ensure her own safety? Not just safety, but her life. He wanted Laura, anyway, so it might work.

  Still, it wasn't likely that Laura would be unconscious the whole time. Even if she was when she arrived, he would want her awake for what he was going to do to her. He liked to hear their screams of fear and agony.

  So that meant that at some point, both of them would be awake and able to try something.

  Unless he had them both tied up.

  This man wasn't stupid.

  Surely, he wouldn’t allow them any opportunity to get the best of him.

  Which meant that really, her options were non-existent.

  Audrey didn’t want to face facts, but the facts were that her chances of getting out of here except in a body bag were slim to none. Very slim to none.

  She was going to die here.

  She knew it; she was just in denial.

  But she couldn’t live in denial forever.

  For the first time since she’d woken up in this hell, she curled up into a little ball in a corner of the cabin and cried.

  Then resolutely, Audrey stopped her tears as a thought occurred to her.

  She had already searched the cabin for something to use as a weapon so she could prepare herself to jump the man as he came through the door, but she had come up empty.

  Perhaps, though, she may be able to find something suitable to cut through whatever he was going to use to bind her, and she was sure that at some point he would tie her up again. Then when he tied her up, he would think that she was secure and out of commission, which if she could get free, would give her the element of surprise.

  Even something like a nail might be useful.

  Depending on what he used, it might be a long shot.

  Still, it was the only shot she had.

  So, she started her search.

  * * * * *

  11:19 P.M.

  “How did things go with Brian?” Rose asked as they met up outside Laura’s apartment building.

  “All clear,” Jack informed her. The whole family had let out a collective relieved breath earlier this afternoon when eight-year-old Brian’s tests to see if his leukemia had returned came back negative. His youngest brother’s little boy had battled the disease for a couple of years before he finally went into remission. At the moment, he was still having checkups every six months, and as the time for his tests grew closer, the entire family grew tense. But now that Brian was in the clear again, they could relax for another few months.

  “That’s great.” Rose smiled.

  “You make any progress?” he asked as they headed into the building.

  “Not really,” his partner sighed. “I spoke with both of Laura’s other roommates again and neither of them could think of anyone who hated Laura. They couldn’t even think of anyone who disliked her. They said she was sweet and hardworking, and everyone got along with her.”

  Of course, Jack had already known that. Laura was the sweetest person he’d ever met. “He had to come across her at college—I would have noticed anyone suspicious. We’ll talk to Laura again.”

  “Think she’s going to be happy to see you?” Rose cast him a sideways glance.

  “I hope so.” Jack wasn't entirely sure whether Laura would even let them in the door.

  “Jack,” Rose began carefully, “are you sure about Laura?”

  Frowning, he asked, “Sure about what?”

  Before Rose could reply, they arrived at Laura’s floor, where the two cops were still standing outside her door, chatting away in quiet voices.

  “No problems?” Jack checked in with the two young officers.

  “Nope,” one replied. “We’ve been knocking on the door at regular intervals, just to make sure she’s doing okay.”

  “Good, and thanks.” Jack let out a relieved breath, pleased that nothing had happened today. Although, he knew it wouldn’t last. This man would come back at Laura again. And he was worried about just what he’d try next. It would no doubt be something bigger and more dramatic than what he’d done so far. He knocked on the door. “Laura? It’s Jack. Rose is with me. We need to talk to you.”

  He listened to see if she was moving about in there. It was late, but he didn’t think Laura slept much, so she probably wasn't in bed.

  “Laura?” He gave another knock. If she didn’t open the door soon, he’d try phoning her; he had her number now since she’d called him the other night.

  “Go away, Jack,” a voice spoke quietly, right on the other side of the door.

  “It’s important, Laura,” he pressed.

  A long pause, then Laura spoke again, “Then Rose can come in.”

  “No, Laura.” He nipped that idea in the bud immediately. “I'm coming in. I want to check on you and on your hand. Now open the door.”

  He heard her sigh, but then he could make out the sounds of the deadbolts sliding undone and the door inched open. Laura stood before them, looking as worn out and disconnected as she’d looked the last time he’d seen her. But she’d changed her clothes and her hair was damp, so she appeared to at least be going through the motions. At least some of them, he thought as his eyes travelled her body in an assessing search. She still wasn't eating, by the looks of it.

  “Come on, let’s get you something to eat.” He took her uninjured hand and led her to the dining table, gently pushing her down into a chair. “Rose, did you have dinner?”

  “A sandwich a few hours ago, but I could go for something else.” Rose walked into the kitchen. “I’ll make something, Jack, you check her hand. You like omelets, Laura?”

  “Yes,” Laura replied.

  “She likes them with just cheese and tomato,” Jack added with a small grin at Laura. He knew she didn’t like him
acting as though he knew her perfectly, even though they both knew he did, and he was hoping that his gentle teasing might lighten her mood a little.

  “And Jack likes cheese, tomato, bacon and mushrooms.” Laura gave him a small smile of her own. “But don’t you two have more important things to do than just coming over here to feed me?”

  “We have to talk to you about a few things, but we can do that while we eat,” Jack answered. If Laura couldn’t take care of herself right now, he was more than happy to step into the role and do it for her. And with food being taken care of, he left Rose in the kitchen and went to retrieve Laura’s first aid kit again.

  Back in the kitchen, Laura offered no protests as he unwound the bandage. The skin on her hand was bright red with oozing blisters. Luckily, the burn wasn't too big, and on the back of her hand, not the palm, but it looked like it needed professional medical care. When he’d re-dressed the wound, he looked at Laura.

  “No, Jack,” she said immediately. “I can't go to the hospital. I'm sorry. I know I should, but I just can't.”

  Then he was going to call Mark tomorrow and have his youngest brother come and look at her hand. Mark was a trauma surgeon, so burns were not his specialty, but he was a doctor and knew more about burns than the rest of them. “We talked before about bringing a doctor here to check it out. Before, you said maybe, but I think your hand is serious enough that it warrants a doctor’s visit.”

  He could see her debating it internally, but eventually she gave a resigned nod. “Okay.”

  Relieved, he said, “Good. Isn’t that painful? Have you taken anything for it today?”

  “It hurts,” Laura acknowledged, “but I'm good at compartmentalizing pain. I've had a lot of practice.”

  Thanks to the hell those men had put her through. Jack had struggled to keep his cool while interviewing Frank Garrett earlier today. The man was scum, slime, filth. He deserved death. A slow and painful death. If he could’ve gotten away with it, he would have killed the man in a heartbeat.

  “What happened to your hand?” Laura asked, her gaze on his bruised knuckles.